49ers player in danger of losing starting job to rookie after 2026 NFL Draft

There are people who believe the San Francisco 49ers failed in the draft, but the team still has high hopes for their picks. And here is a 49ers player in danger of losing his starting job to a rookie after the 2026 NFL Draft.

The 49ers traded out of the first round and made their first pick at No. 33 overall. And that’s the player who could push a veteran out of the starting lineup.

49ers WR Christian Kirk could lose starting spot to De’Zhaun Stribling

The good news for the 49ers is they appear to be solid in the receiver room. Despite his advanced age for an NFL receiver, Mike Evans can still be one of the best in the game. And Ricky Pearsall has shown flashes of being a legitimate NFL talent.

But at the No. 3 spot, Kirk will have to fight off the challenge of Stribling. Kirk is an eight-year veteran, so he has that advantage. And he does have a 1,000-yard season on his resume, coming in 2022.

However, Stribling brings the size and athleticism that could push him into the starting lineup, according to The Athletic.

“With his tall, muscular frame, Stribling quickly accelerates to his top speed and has quickness out of route breaks,” Dane Brugler wrote. “Even if he didn’t put the most versatile route inventory on film (hitches and go routes accounted for 57 percent of his route frequency in 2025). He has dependable hands (1.9 percent drop rate in 2025) and plays strong to the football, but needs to do a better job with his positioning downfield to finish tight-window throws. His smarts and willingness to do the dirty work are coach-pleasing qualities.”

But there is work to do. Stribling needs polish for his route running. That gets magnified at the NFL level.

“Stribling isn’t the most well-rounded in terms of his route success, but he is a big-bodied athlete with strong ball skills and a pro mindset,” Brugler wrote. “He has the talent and competitive toughness to settle into a WR2/3 role for an NFL offense.”

But he’s still seen as a potential difference-maker. He’s 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, and could become an eventual plus starter, according to NFL.com.

“Stribling has good size and early acceleration to climb over the top of coverage, but lacks short-area quickness to gain separation underneath,” Lance Zierlein wrote. “His downfield ball skills are above average. But he struggles to consistently carve out catch space and fight through contested-catch contact for tight-coverage wins. He has legit speed after the catch once he finds open grass.

“He’s also one of the most competitive run blockers in the WR class. Stribling projects as an immediate WR4 who could eventually work his way into a starting role.”

So, it’s not set in stone that he will replace Kirk. And 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan loves veteran players.

Whether or not Stribling fits into critics’ complaints of the 49ers “reaching” in the draft, Shanahan said the team did its homework, according to Sports Illustrated.

“I think that was one of the coolest things with this draft, just so you don’t reach on somebody,” said Shanahan. “If there’s somebody you know you’re going to take at that spot and your consensus or what all your homework from around the league, not necessarily like Twitter or media stuff, just like the things you investigate and when people are going to go.

“And if you’re going to take someone who you think is the best player but you don’t think they’re going to go until like 15 picks later, 20 picks later, it’s always a huge risk because you never find out when they’re going to go if you take them there. But the times that we did feel that way, at 27, at 30, and you’re able to move back and create stuff later.”

The 49ers are considered to be a team in the mix for the Super Bowl chase. And it will help matters if quarterback Brock Purdy has extra targets to work with on the outside. The emergence of a player like Stribling could be an important step in pushing the 49ers deep into the playoffs.

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